Transaction

"So, Senior Sister Yu, you came all the way here in the middle of the night just to gain insights into my footwork from the wind during the day?" Chen Yuan immediately understood Yu Qinglan's purpose.

Yu Qinglan nodded gently, looking slightly apologetic: "I apologize, Junior Brother Chen Yuan. I studied your Conception without your consent."

"It is nothing; that you were able to comprehend it is a testament to your talent." Chen Yuan shook his head, then suddenly thought of something and pressed: "So, when Luo Hai mentioned earlier that your footwork and sword art were seventy percent similar to mine, was it because you had secretly gone to my training grounds to study my sword art?"

Hearing Chen Yuan's words, Yu Qinglan blushed instantly. She hurriedly shook her head: "I had no intention of spying; I simply happened to choose the same Gravity Chamber."

"Besides, I did not intentionally steal your techniques." Yu Qinglan sighed as she said this, "After mastering the 'Wind of Existence,' even if I do not actively activate it, those 'memories in the wind' still exert an influence on me, though most of it is extremely faint."

"But you are different, Junior Brother Chen Yuan." Yu Qinglan suddenly turned serious, staring at Chen Yuan: "The Conception power you wield is too overbearing and too powerful, so the memories left behind are incredibly intense."

"I only trained in that Gravity Chamber once, and my original sword art and footwork were completely led astray by you." Yu Qinglan's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "Later, I tried to revert to my own sword art, but I found that not only was there no progress, but I was actually regressing."

"Only by imitating your techniques could my sword art and footwork improve, but correspondingly, they became increasingly biased toward your style."

"I do not know why only your sword art is so bizarre." Yu Qinglan looked at Chen Yuan with a hint of resentment in her eyes: "So, I was not intentionally following you; if I do not practice this way, my strength will continue to decline until it hits rock bottom."

After listening to Yu Qinglan's explanation, Chen Yuan fell silent. This was the first time he had learned of this issue, so he silently asked the system in his heart: "What happens if others practice the Gale Sword Art?"

The system provided an answer quickly.

The answer was simple: because the Gale Sword Art was specialized for Chen Yuan during optimization, if others practice it, they will involuntarily be tainted by his aura. This aura repels other cultivation methods, and one can only continue to progress by following the path Chen Yuan has paved.

Chen Yuan did not know what to say after receiving the answer; so, this was all a misunderstanding caused by a single secret technique.

Initially, when Chen Yuan heard about Yu Qinglan's situation from Luo Hai, he radiated his mental energy and happened to sense Yu Qinglan hiding behind the door eavesdropping, leading him to mistakenly believe she had been spying on his training.

That was why he specifically invited Luo Hai to the Training Ground for a spar; sure enough, Yu Qinglan followed, which made him even more certain of his guess.

He had intended to have a showdown with Yu Qinglan tonight, but he never expected to learn the truth from her own mouth.

So, in the end, Yu Qinglan had also been sabotaged by his own technique. Chen Yuan felt strange, so he asked the system again: "Is there any way to help those who practice the Gale Sword Art return to normal?"

The system, which answered every question, replied quickly: yes, and it was simple. He only needed to optimize a set of exclusive techniques based on the other person's situation.

As long as Yu Qinglan also practiced a technique exclusive to her, she could resist the influence brought by the Gale Sword Art and return to a normal state, allowing her to practice other ordinary techniques and manuals in the future without issue.

Chen Yuan fell into deep thought. To be honest, optimizing a technique from Earth was nothing to him now, especially if he abandoned universality; it would cost at most a few dozen Kill Points.

However, Chen Yuan worried that this might expose the existence of the system.

After all, Chen Yuan knew that in a few hundred years, Earth would attract an investigation from the Founder of the Giant Axe because Hong had cleared the 20th level of the Illusion Sea. A powerhouse of that level could easily rewind time, and by then, every action Chen Yuan had taken on Earth would be visible to this strongest being in the universe.

Therefore, Chen Yuan had always avoided directly exposing the system. Any conversation related to the system, or even questions about his own identity, were kept in his mind, never spoken aloud.

But then Chen Yuan reconsidered: if he did not expose the existence of the system and attributed the optimization ability to his own talent, would that attract the attention of the Founder of the Giant Axe?

Chen Yuan thought about it and decided it probably wouldn't, because the universe was too vast, and all kinds of powerful talents emerged one after another.

In the original work, Luo Feng possessed the Kinkaku beast with a peak universe bloodline. Even in the eyes of his teacher, the Chaos City Lord, such a heaven-defying encounter was only considered "upper-middle," and that was only because of the Kinkaku beast's innate secret technique, "Clone."

And merely optimizing secret techniques? In the eyes of those cosmic powerhouses, it probably wouldn't count as a very powerful talent at all, because the level he was optimizing at now was still too low.

In other words, as long as he did not expose the "Infinite Optimization" ability, he would not be noticed by those powerhouses.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan looked up at Yu Qinglan and said: "I have thought about it, and I should be able to solve the problem you are facing."

Hearing Chen Yuan say this, Yu Qinglan's eyes lit up: "How can it be solved!"

"You should know that the Gale Sword Art I practice was optimized from a C-grade manual due to my own talent," Chen Yuan said. Seeing Yu Qinglan nod, he continued: "Because this manual was optimized entirely based on my own physical condition, it became tainted with my aura, making it impossible for anyone other than me to practice it."

"If you force yourself to practice it, you will end up in your current situation."

"So, my troubles during this time were entirely an unprovoked disaster?" Yu Qinglan pursed her lips, still feeling a bit depressed, but she knew she couldn't blame Chen Yuan.

After all, Chen Yuan didn't know his Conception was special, and she didn't know his manual was bizarre.

Who could have guessed that she would just happen to pick a Gravity Chamber to train in and then get caught in this trap?

"So, do you know how to undo this influence?" Yu Qinglan asked, her tone filled with anticipation.

"I can tailor a technique specifically for you based on your physical condition," Chen Yuan said. "As long as you practice this technique, you can resist the influence of the Gale Sword Art and return to normal."

Upon hearing Chen Yuan's words, Yu Qinglan's eyes brightened, then she frowned slightly as she thought of something: "Then will I still be able to practice other manuals in the future?"

"Naturally," Chen Yuan said affirmatively.

"Then..." Yu Qinglan hesitated, but still said: "What price must I pay for you to customize a technique for me?"

"Customizing a technique won't have any impact on you," Chen Yuan shook his head. "However, to tailor it to you, I also have to pay a certain price."

"So, in exchange, I hope to gain insights into your Conception power," Chen Yuan stated his condition.

That's right, Chen Yuan's goal was the "Wind of Existence" Conception mastered by Yu Qinglan. This branch of Conception involving time was crucial to him.

If not for this, he would not have risked the discovery of his secret to optimize a technique for Yu Qinglan.

After hearing Chen Yuan's request, Yu Qinglan showed an expression of "as expected," then nodded: "I can teach you the Wind of Existence, but I cannot guarantee you will be able to learn it, as I only comprehended this branch of Conception by a stroke of luck."

"No matter; as long as you allow me to observe when you are manifesting this Conception, that will suffice." Seeing Yu Qinglan agree, a smile appeared on Chen Yuan's face.

"Then..." Seeing the deal was struck, Yu Qinglan felt relieved and reached out to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan understood and raised his hand to high-five her.

Slap!

Yu Qinglan finally smiled: "Deal!"